Juan Pablo Montoya Wins Indy 500

Juan Pablo Montoya broke away from teammate Will Power in the final laps and won the 99th Indianapolis 500 in Indiana on Sunday. The victory was Montoya’s second Indy 500 win, with his first coming in 2000.

A late crash set up a restart with 15 laps left that pitted Penske Racing teammates Montoya and Power against one another and Ganassi driver Scott Dixon. Dixon and Power exchanged the lead before Montoya went high to pass Dixon prior to zipping past Power on the frontstretch with three laps left.

Montoya stuck to Indy 500 traditions after the race: drinking from a bottle of milk and kissing the bricks in victory lane. His 15 years between wins in the race represented a new record, surpassing A.J. Foyt’s 10 (1967 and 1977).

Power finished second on Sunday, with Charlie Kimball placing third, Dixon fourth and Graham Rahal coming in fifth.

The thrilling finish capped an amazing day of racing that started with a tribute to a late night TV host/team owner and a first-lap crash.

Longtime TV host David Letterman, who on Wednesday broadcast his final show after 33 years on network airwaves, was feted by the IndyCar team he co-owns: Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Team driver Oriol Servia had a caricature of Letterman’s face and #thanksdave on his bright yellow Indy car. He finished 29th.

When the 99th edition of the legendary race started, two drivers — Takuma Sato and Sage Karam — crashed before the end of the first lap. Fan favorite Tony Kanaan, who led the race early on, crashed on Lap 152.